My second thought image was of me as a young linguistic graduate student tasked with being the moderator of a semiotics talk at Brown. The speaker and I engaged in this rarefied ( OK, you're right, obtuse) exploration of how humans interpret words both syntagmatically and paradigmatically - and wow wasn't that infinitely fascinating. I remember the large, patient audience chuckled when we were done.

I was helping out at the conference with my then fellow student and now life-long best friend Debbie Topol. The conference was the inspired product of my mentor, Dr. Peter Blackwell, then Principal of the RI School for the Deaf and the Co-Director of The Language Awareness Project at Brown, along with Dr. Naomi Baron.

After our session Deb and I trudged off to make sure that the coffee and donuts were readied for the break ( sound familiar). On the way I'm sure the small talk was our familiar riff - what's the connection between all this complex theory, all this stuff we're learning and thinking through - and the language acquisition and literacy problems of deaf young people we're teaching. (The fundamental literacy level achieved by deaf adults is far poorer than the general population and many struggle to read at 5th grade level).

It's 40 something years later and a true surprise and honor (a gift indeed) of learning that I am receiving the Doak award is that it came at a moment when the question of how to connect theory and practice has been pricking my conscience more than usual. I've been writing about perception and action in complex emergencies. Where's the theory in the practice? Is there new theory? The question that I realize has been walking beside me all these years of my work. At once both vexing and energizing to me. Often alienating to others. But as Rilke said, if you live the question, perhaps you will then gradually, without noticing it, live along into the answers.

What we're reading and tuning into

Disclaimer

What I post here is intended only as a forum to discuss ideas. Please be aware that referred to research or sources evolve over time so the documents referred to on this blog may be superseded by new information.

Oh, and BTW I use the following broad definition of Health Literacy:“A health literate person is able to use health concepts and information generatively—applying information to novel situations. This is critical to our efforts to prepare the public to react to complex public health emergencies.”(From invited paper presented by me - Surgeon General’s Report on Health Literacy, September 7 2006, Bethesda Maryland http://www.surgeongeneral.gov/topics/healthliteracy/toc.html)